This recipe I made a year or so ago, around (one of) the time I wasn't blogging. I made it again tonight, with a few alterations, and it was delicious. I loved it; Olivia didn't love it but did eat it; Sadie may or may not have liked it, but she ate it, which is all that matters. Greg was not home to provide an opinion. The original came from February 2013's Chatelaine: Smoked-Trout Chowder, but I have changed it a bit to my own taste. Yum yum.
Fish Chowder
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
3 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/4 cup dry white wine
3 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups 2% milk
1 tsp herbes de Provence
1/2 cup 35% cream
1 cup corn kernels
200 g skinless, boneless fish (any kind), diced
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Melt butter in a large pot over medium. Add celery, carrots and onion. Sprinkle with flour and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until carrots start to soften, about 5 min.
Add potatoes, wine, broth, milk and herbes de Provence. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, partially covered, until potatoes are tender, about 15 min.
Stir in cream, corn, and fish. Continue simmering for 2 min. Ladle into bowls and top with parsley just before serving.
Makes 6 servings.
Greg was super looking forward to this recipe, and both he and Sadie loved it. Of course they did; it was spicy! Olivia and I weren't big fans, so I had to break the news to Greg that I wouldn't be making it again. Oh, the disappointment. From February 2014's Chatelaine: Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons. The original recipe called white bread for the croutons; I picked up a loaf of fresh sourdough on Monday, which was sufficiently dried by Thursday that it made perfect little grilled cheese croutons that held together in the soup, softening up without becoming mushy. I recommend that.
Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 small carrots, peeled and chopped
2 small celery stalks, chopped
1 small red pepper, chopped
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
freshly ground black pepper
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
796-mL can whole tomatoes
2 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 slices day-old sourdough bread
several slices cheddar cheese, enough to cover bread
Melt 2 tbsp butter in a large saucepan over medium. Add onion and garlic. Cook until onion is soft, 4 to 5 min. Add carrots, celery, pepper, tomato paste, lime juice, sugar, salt and cayenne. Season with fresh pepper. Cook until vegetables begin to soften, stirring occasionally, 4 to 5 min. Add broth and tomatoes with juices. Break up tomatoes a bit with sharp knife or wooden spoon. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer until vegetables are tender, 20 min.
Puree in 2 batches in a blender until smooth.* Return to clean saucepan set over low to keep warm.
Spread 2 tbsp butter on both sides of each bread slice.** Heat a large frying pan over medium and lay 2 slices in pan. Top each with sliced cheese, then remaining bread. Cook, flipping halfway, until cheese is melted and bread is golden, 4 min. Remove from pan and let cool slightly. Cut into 1/2-in. cubes.
Ladle soup into bowls and top with grilled cheese croutons.
Makes 6 servings.***
*I puree my soup with the lid on but the centre of the lid out. I cover the hole with a folded up dish towel. This allows the steam to escape so the top of your blender doesn't go flying off.
**Oops! I missed this, and only buttered the outside of my bread. I wonder what difference it makes?
***Original says 10 servings. I say not.
I was really looking forward to this recipe, and it lived up to my expectations! From February 2014's Chatelaine: Sweet & Spicy Faux-Fried Chicken. In the magazine, they pair the recipe with waffles, but we don't have a waffle maker, and I forgot to buy vegetables for the side, so I worked with what I had in the house, and re-made last week's Sesame Carrot Coins as well as one of my go-to recipes from Canadian Living, Oven-Roasted Grape Tomatoes. I usually make the tomatoes to accompany steak, but they went well with this chicken. The whole meal had some spice to it, and Sadie ate it up. I think I have finally figured out the trick with this kid: she likes spicy food! Whoever would have guessed? Too bad Olivia doesn't, or we would be set. Ah well. Kids must keep me on my toes. To the recipes!
Sweet & Spicy Faux-Fried Chicken
2 cups cornflakes
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 egg yolk
3 tbsp honey, divided
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 500 g)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp water
1/8 tsp cayenne
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with foil.
Crush cornflakes with your hands in a medium bowl until finely crumbled. Stir in Italian seasoning. Whisk egg yolk with 1 tbsp honey and Dijon in another medium bowl.
Cut each chicken breast in half crosswise and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with salt. Coat each piece with egg mixture, then press into cornflake mixture to completely cover. Lay chicken on prepared sheet.
Bake in centre of oven until golden-brown, about 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine water with cayenne in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in remaining 2 tbsp honey. Drizzle cooked chicken with cayenne honey.
Makes 4 servings.
Sesame Carrot Coins
Stir 1 tbsp each rice vinegar and tamari (or soy sauce) with 1 tsp each brown sugar and sriracha sauce in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Heat a medium non-stick frying pan over medium. Add 1 tbsp canola oil, then 6 thinly sliced carrots along with sauce mixture. Cook carrots until tender-crisp, about 5 min. Drizzle with 2 tsp dark sesame oil and stir in 4 sliced green onions.
Makes 4 servings.
Oven-Roasted Grape Tomatoes
4 cups (1 L) grape tomatoes (or halved cherry tomatoes)
2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1/2 tsp (2 mL) dried oregano
1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
1 pinch hot pepper flakes (optional)
In 13- x 9-inch (3 L) glass baking dish, toss together tomatoes, oil, garlic, oregano, salt, and hot pepper flakes (if using).
Roast in 400°F (200°C) oven, stirring occasionally, until shrivelled, about 25 minutes.
Makes 4 servings.
This is the second time I've cooked this meal, and the third time I've eaten it. My friend Janice made this for us at our Christmas cookie exchange in December and it was good and easy, so I made it for us awhile back. At that time, Olivia didn't like it, and Sadie ate a goodly portion. Tonight, Olivia ate a bit more than last time, and Sadie hardly ate a bite. Who knows?
This one comes from Michael Smith; I found a copy online that called for making your own gnocchi, but I used store-bought, the fresh kind.
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| Sadie Sous-Chef |
Goat Cheese Gnocchi with Sage Butternut Squash Sauce
50 ml (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
2 onions, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut in 1-cm (1/2-inch) cubes
250 ml (1 cup) water
2 ml (1/2 tsp) salt
Lots of freshly ground pepper
Leaves from 1 bunch fresh sage, thinly sliced (or 1 tbsp/15 ml dried sage)
1 pkg prepared fresh gnocchi, 500 g (1 lb)soft goat cheese, to taste
toasted nuts, such as pecans (optional)
In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic; sauté until textures soften and flavours brighten, 5 minutes or so. Toss in butternut squash, water, salt and pepper. Gently stir together, combining flavours. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a slow, steady simmer, cover tightly and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until squash is soft and delicious, another 15 minutes or so. Mash sauce lightly with a potato masher, but don’t turn it into a paste.
Meanwhile, cook gnocchi according to package directions, timing it to be ready when the sauce is (good luck!). As soon as sauce and gnocchi are ready, add sage and gnocchi to sauce and stir, stir, stir.
Serve topped with goat cheese and nuts, to taste.
Makes 4 servings.
The only drawback to this meal is that it is heavy; I felt a little ill after eating a probably slightly larger portion than required. Likely should have made a salad on the side.
Alas, I had to make play dough for school. Remember last year? Beautiful sky blue play dough? This year it looks like I'm sending a human liver to school. Olivia and I discussed orange, but oopsy, we ran out of yellow food colouring early on, so I used up all the red, thinking maybe it would end up an orangey-pink after being mixed with all the white flour and salt. Nope. Liver red. Yum yum.
The great thing about skinnytaste is not having to change recipes at all. I made this one exactly as per the recipe and it was simply delish:
Three Cheese Tortellini and Mushroom Soup
2 tsp butter
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled & chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
8 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
142 g shiitaki mushrooms, sliced
227 g cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 small Parmigiano Reggiano rind (optional)
255 g three cheese tortellini
salt, to taste
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Parmigiano Reggiano, grated (optional)
In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat. When melted, add the celery, onion, carrot and garlic. Reduce heat to low and cook for approximately 8-10 minutes until vegetables begin to soften.
Add the chicken broth, water, mushrooms, rind and increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. When broth boils, add salt to taste and pepper; stir to combine. Reduce heat to low, simmer until mushrooms are soft, about 20 minutes. Add tortellini and cook according to package directions for al dente.
Once cooked, remove the rind, stir to combine and garnish with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano if desired.
Makes 12 cups.
I have been trying maaaaany homemade granola bar recipes this year, trying to find something that is healthy enough to put in Olivia's lunch and tasty enough that she will eat one every day until the whole batch is gone. I have not had much luck. The healthy ones she tires of quickly, the tasty ones are sugar-laden. The latest one I tried, she says she's not crazy about, but so far, they're being eaten, and I think they taste pretty good. I made them awhile back, but was waiting to see her reaction over an extended period of time before blogging about it. It's a good recipe in part because you can alter the ingredients to suit yourself quite easily. Altered slightly, original from smitten kitchen:
Thick, Chewy Granola Bars
1 2/3 cups quick rolled oats
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 cups dried fruits and nuts, your choice*
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons melted butter (I used 7!) or oil of choice
1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 tablespoon water
1/3 cup peanut butter or another nut butter* (I used soy butter, notes below)
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8″ x 8″ x 2″ pan in one direction with parchment paper, allowing it to go up the opposing sides. Lightly grease the exposed pan.
Stir together all the dry ingredients, including the fruit and nuts. In a separate bowl, whisk together the vanilla, melted butter or oil, liquid sweeteners and water. Toss the wet ingredients with the dry and the nut butter until the mixture is evenly crumbly. Spread in the prepared pan, pressing them in firmly to ensure they are molded to the shape of the pan.
Bake the bars for 30 to 40 minutes, until they’re brown around the edges — don’t be afraid to get a little colour on the tops too. They’ll still seem soft and almost underbaked when you press into the center of the pan but do not worry, they’ll set completely once completely cool.
Cool the bars in their pan completely on a cooling rack. (Alternately, after about 20 minutes you can use your parchment “sling” to lift and remove the bars, and place them in their paper on the rack to cool the rest of the way. This can speed the process up.)
Once cool, cut the bars into squares. If bars seem crumbly, chill the pan in the fridge for 30 minutes, then cut them cold. To store, wrap the bars individually in plastic or stack them in an airtight container. They also freeze well.
*Suggestions: Dried cranberries, apricots, pecans, sunflower seeds, coconut, walnuts, sesame seeds, pepitas, dried apples or chocolate chips. My mix: pepitas, unsweetened coconut, rice krispies, chocolate chips, raisins, dried cranberries.
Obviously, since I was making these for school, I had to avoid nuts of all kinds. I opted to buy "Wow" Butter, which is soy butter proclaiming to look, smell and taste like peanut butter.
LIES! All lies! Look, yes; smell, almost; taste; NOTHING LIKE PEANUT BUTTER! If someone spread that on a piece of toast for me to eat, I would throw it back in their face. However, for this recipe, it worked.
I think if I made the recipe with peanut butter, peanuts and chocolate chips, it would be a surefire winner. Alas. Maybe this summer.
On to supper! I have had the flu the last two days, but somehow managed to pull off cooking meals, one of them a new recipe. I can't tell you a thing about them; I remember next to nothing of the dizzy, crazy state I was in. Today I felt on the better side, and I can report that supper was yummy! From February 2014's Chatelaine:
Chili-Garlic Chicken with Sesame Carrot Coins
MAKE 2 or 3 shallow cuts, about 1/4-in. deep, diagonally across surface of 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts. Stir 1 tbsp each rice vinegar, tamari (or soy sauce) and chili-garlic sauce with 1 tsp brown sugar in a medium bowl. Coat chicken with vinegar mixture.
HEAT a large non-stick frying pan over medium. Add 1 tbsp canola oil, then chicken. (Do not discard marinade.) Cook chicken 5 min. Flip and continue cooking, covered, until springy when touched, 6 more min. Transfer to plates.
RETURN pan to heat and add 6 thinly sliced carrots along with reserved marinade. Cook carrots until tender-crisp, about 5 min. Drizzle with 2 tsp dark sesame oil and stir in 4 sliced green onions. Serve with chicken.
I used the full marinade on two chicken breasts, but we found the chicken a little bland; in future I intend to double the sauce recipe so there is some left in the pan to pour over the chicken. I didn't have any chili-garlic sauce, so I used 1 tsp sriracha in its place. The carrots were spicy and I loved them! You have to understand; I hate carrots! Also, Sadie loved them! You have to understand; Sadie doesn't like anything! I served this with jasmine rice.
